Benjamin franklin conner



(No Model.)

B. P. CONNER.

BELL AND HOPPER POR BLAST PURNAGES. No. 460,849. Patented 001:. 6,1891.

Il HEL Q /N VE N TUI? www ..1 I By @gg f Nrren STATES ePriftiitntr OFFICE.

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN CONNER, OF COLUMBIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

BELL AN D HOPPER FOR BLAST-FU RNACES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 460,849, dated October 6, 1891.

Application iiled May l, 1891. Serial No. 391,197. (No model.)

Tora/ZZ whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, BENJAMIN FRANKLIN CONNER, of Columbia, in the county of Lancaster and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and Improved Bell and llopper for Blast-Furnaces, of which the followngis a full, clear, and exact description. 'Y

The invention relates to bells and hoppers for blast-furnaces, such as shown and described in the Letters Patent of the United States, No. 445,850, granted to me February 3, 189].

The object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved bell and hopper mechanism, which is simple and durable in construction, and is adapted to evenly distribute lthe charging material in the furnace, or tothrow part of the said material to the center only or to the walls, as desired.

The invention consists of certain parts and details 'and combinations of the same, as will be described hereinafter, and then pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, 1n which similar letters ot' reference indicate corresponding parts in all the ligures.

Figure l is a sectional side elevation of the improvement on the line m of Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is a transverse section of the same on the line y y] of Fig. 2, and Fig. 4 is a transverse section of part of the improvement on the line ,e of Fig. 2.

The stack-furnace A supports at its upper end the usual cone-shaped hopper B, adapted to be closed at its lower or small end by a bell C, formed in the shape of a truncated'cone, as is plainly illustrated in the drawings, the base of the cone being formed with inwardly and downwardly projecting prongs or arms D, arranged in the form of a truncated cone, butin an inverted position, as is shown in Figs. l and 3.

The outer surface of the truncated coneshaped bell C is formed with lugs E, con nected with rods F, extending upward and connected with beams G, pivoted on a pivot II, held in a post Il', arranged on 'top of the stack-furnace A. The rear ends of the beams G are provided with an adjustable weight I,

serving to counterbalance the weight of the bell C and the charge thereon.

Into the small opening of the hopper B (its from underneath a second bell J, made coneshaped and having its base extended a short distance within the upper end ofthe cone C, and on the under side thereof, as is plainly illustrated in Fig. l, so that when the two bells are in a closed position, as shown in Fig. l, the bell .I forms a cap tor the bell C. The bell .I is provided at its apex with a rod K, extending upward and pivotal] y connected with a lever L, fulcru med on the pivot l-I, carrying the beam G. The rear end ot' the lever L is pivotally connected with a piston-rod N, carrying a piston O, fitted to slide in a cylinder P and adapted to be actuated by a snitahle motive power permitted to enter the cylinder at either end. O11 the piston-rod N outside of the cylinder P is fitted to slide an arm Q, adapted to be secured in place by means of a set-screw R or other suitable device. \Vhen the two bells are closed,as illustrated in Fig. l, the piston O is in its lowermost position and the arm Q is held a suit* able distance below the beam G.

lVhen it is desired to charge the furnace near the middle, the piston O is actuated so as to slide upward in the cylinder P, whereby the lever L is caused to swing, and thereby the bell J is lowered. An opening is thus established between the bells J and C at the upper or small end of the latter, so that the material within the middle of the hopper B is free to slide through the said opening and over the bell J upon the arms D, which guide part of the material to the center, and part passes farther out near to the wall ot' the stack through the spaces between the said arms D. IVhen it is desired to charge the balance of the material contained in the hopper B, then a farther upward motion ot the piston 0 brings the arm Q into engagement with the under sides of the beams G, so that the latter are caused to swing, whereby the front ends of the said beams descend and the bell C is unseated from the lower end of the hopperB, and the material from the latter passes into the stack close to the wall of the same. Then itis desired to discharge all the material contained in the hopper B close to the wall ofthe IOO stack, then the beams G are caused to swing downward at their front ends, so that the bell C swings in the same direction and carries with it the bell J, which remains seated within the small end of the bell C. All the material in the hopper B now passes out over the bells J and C close to the wall of the stack.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. The combination, with a bell made in the shape of a truncated cone and arranged to close the hopper and arms or prongs extending downward and inward from the base of the said bell, of a second bell made in the shape of a cone andadapted to fit into the top opening of the said' truncated cone, and mechanism for supporting and operating the bells independently of each other, substantially as shown and described. Y

2. The combination,with abell madein the shape ot' a truncated cone and arranged to close the hopper and arms or prongs extending downward and inward from the base of the said bell, of a second bell made in the shape of a cone and adapted to fit into the top opening of the said truncated cone, and means for raising and lowering the said second cone, so as to permit the material to pass through the small opening in the truncated cone upon the second cone and from the latter upon the said arms to pass to the center of the stack or through the spaces. between the said arms, and mechanism for supporting Aand operating the bells independently of each Il. The combination, with a hopper, of an upper or outer bell closing the hopper and having a central opening, a lower or inner bell arranged to close said opening, a counterbalanced beam above the hopper and supporting the outermost bell,a lever connected with the innermost bell, a cylinder contain-` ing a piston, said piston connected with the said lever, and an adjustable arm held on the piston-rod of the said piston and adapted to engage the said beam, substantially as shown and described.

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN CONNER. Witnesses:

F. P. D. MILLER, GEO. D. MILLER. 

